Scars
by avcos
Summary: When Bickslow finally confirms everyone's worst fears, how will life in the guild change for their resident bookworm? Inspired by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus song "Face Down". There will be a sister fic running along side this one that will be much darker
1. Chapter 1, or The Intro

A/N: New fic, and first publish! I hope you guys enjoy this crack ship as much as I do XD

Pre warning, there will be some pretty dark things explored here, but I do my best to balance it out with some fluff.

Apologies for any formatting issues, I'm doing my best, but publishing from my phone is tricky.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and please let ne know what your theories are!

Bickslow from the bar as the usually bubbly bluenette kept her distance from everyone, kept glancing over at the raven haired Slayer a few seats down. He wasn't an idiot, he could put two and two together, even without his magic he knew what was going on. But he wasn't sure what to do, what to say, if he even should interfere. So, turning his gaze but not his attention, back to the drink in front of him, Bickslow kept watching.

He saw the way she twitched when someone laughed too loud, how she kept her eyes on Gajeel, how she deliberately stood just far enough away so she wouldn't be touched, but not so far as to make her old team suspicious. Bickslow had been watching them, watching her, for months. Had seen the way she gradually grew quieter, the usually social bookworm drawing in on herself, trying to make her already tiny body even smaller. He'd seen Gajeel spending more time at the bar, less time casually talking or fighting with the rest of the guild, had watched as the small speck of darkness in him had grown, until it had all but smothered the deep red of the man's soul.

To Bickslow, spying on his friends like that felt intrusive, wrong, but they were all worried about the pair. He was worried about the pair. So, months ago, he'd asked his closest friends. The rajinshuu were understanding of his reluctance, but Freed told him that if he wasn't spying or interfering, just keeping an eye on them, it was no different really than what the rest of the guild was doing. He still felt awful, prying into the very core of who they were, but the day he discovered the blackness starting to take hold on the brilliant yellow of Levy's soul, all he felt was anger.

So, Bickslow watched, and waited, biding his time and trying to decide exactly what he should do.


	2. Chapter 2, or The Realisation

He got his chance one afternoon a month or so back, when Gajeel and Lily had left on a job, leaving Levy alone in the guild library. He'd waltzed in, under the pretence of looking for Freed, but quietly sat opposite her and made idle chatter. Bickslow was thankful for his chatty nature, because the quiet girl opposite him was giving him nothing. He was about to give up and go home for the day when she suddenly shut the tome she'd been translating.

 _"Bickslow" Levy's voice was quiet, trying not to disturb the peace of the silent library. "Are soul mates real?"_  
 _"Little blue, that's a loaded question" he cocked his head, narrowing his eyes at her. "But I guess yes, is the short answer. Why'd you want to know? Don't you have tall, dark and brooding?" Bickslow didn't miss the way she flinched at the implication of Gajeel._  
 _"Just a hypothetical. How would you know?" Levy kept her eyes averted, studying the cover of the book in front of her._  
 _"Well, its different for everyone, you know? But I guess you'd know when you found them. You'd be happy, it'd feel like home, or some bullshit like that"_  
 _"Wait, don't you have a soul mate?"_  
 _Bickslow cackled, letting his tongue loll out of his mouth. " Me, with one person? Little blue, you've been spending too long with these books. No one ties down Bickslow". When he looked and saw the sadness on her face, he had to stop himself from reaching out to take her hand. "Levy, I know you're not happy. We all see it. Gajeel, he might have been the one for you, but everyone knows he isn't now. The whole soulmates thing, it isn't static. People change." Levy opened her mouth to protest, but he kept going. "Its not my place to say anything, do anything, just giving you the information. Besides, if you ever do want to know who it is, I can show you" he let his control slip, eyes flashing green for a moment._  
 _Levy gasped "you, you can do that?"_  
 _Standing, Bickslow shrugged off her question. "Probably. You know how to find me if you want to find out. Don't worry, he'll never know I was here" and with a wave over his shoulder, Bickslow left a very confused bluenette in the silence._

Shaking his head clear of the memory, Bickslow watched from the corner of his eye as Levy backed away from Jet's touch, straight into Gajeel. He saw the grimace pass across her pretty face, so quick anyone else would have missed it. _Wait, pretty? What the hell brain?!_ Bickslow thought to himself. _The girls in trouble, and NOW you decide to notice how gorgeous she is?_

Standing, Bickslow nodded at Mira, thankful she wasn't looking towards the job board, and slowly headed in their direction. He smiled at the group, as he turned, pretending to study the jobs on offer so he could listen to the conversation happening next to him.

"What are you talking about Shrimp?" Gajeel's gravelly voice enquired.  
"Oh, hey Gajeel" Jet greeted, while Droy nodded his acknowledgment.  
"Levy was just telling us about this author she likes who's coming to do a book signing in town on Saturday" Droy said while reaching into his back pocket for a snack. "Did you want to come with us?"

Bickslow saw the pained look that flitted briefly across Levy's face out the corner of his eye, and clenched his jaw so he didn't say anything that might make it worse for the small bluenette.

"Damn that would have been good to go to, I know how much you like their work," Gajeel said as he looked down at Levy, "unfortunately we have a date planned for this Saturday. Would you guys mind getting a copy signed for my Levy? I know it would mean a lot to her".  
"Uh, sure of course" Jet answered while Droy nodded again, finishing the chocolate bar.

 _His Levy?_ Bickslow bristled at those words, telling himself it was because of the clear disrespect behind them. Yeah, that was the reason. Not the weird fluttering that had started in his chest every time he caught those enormous, amber brown eyes.

Giving up the pretence of job searching, he made his way over to the group, letting his guild personality take up residence on his face.  
"Yo, Gajeel! What's up?" Letting his tongue roll out of his mouth he slung his arms across the shoulders of Jet and Droy. "Baby blue, how's tall, dark and handsome treating you?"

He knew it was risky, but he had to know for sure. The dark shadow that rolled across Gajeel's face, and the sudden tension in Levy's shoulders told him everything, that his terrible suspicions were right.

"Well, I'm off to see if I can convince Freed to cut his hair. Catch you later!" Waving at the group, Bickslow sauntered up to the second floor, not letting the facade drop until he collapsed into his seat at his team's designated table.

Letting his head fall with a thud to the table, the rest of the rajinshuu looked towards him as he groaned.

"What's the matter Bicks, Cana out drink you again?" Evergreen teased from behind her always present fan.  
Bickslow just glared at her. "Isn't Elfman back from a job? I'm sure he needs some manly love".  
The only female member of their team just huffed and started down the stairs. "Can you boys please fix Bickslow? He's more insufferable than usual".  
"I love you too Ever!" He called, the sound muffled against the wood of the table.

The three men sat in silence, both Freed and Laxus content to watch Bickslow and wait until he worked his thoughts into some sort of order. Neither flinched when he suddenly sat upright, slapping his hands on the table.  
"He's hitting her. He's fucking hitting her, and God knows what else. It's been happening for months. Months, for fucks sake!"  
Laxus maintained his composure, face blank as he raised an eyebrow at his friends sudden outburst. "Okay, what are you going to do about it?"  
Bickslow scrunched his face up in confusion as he thought. What was he going to do? What could he even do?  
"Nothing" Freed stated from his seat next to Bickslow, keeping his eyes on his drink even though Bickslow had turned to face him fully. "You do nothing, we do nothing. Not right now. Yes, it seems heartless. But anything we do only risks making Gajeel angry. So, until Miss Levy asks for help, we can't do anything further than what we are currently"  
Bickslow's scowl deepened. He knew Freed was right, but he didn't like how hearing that made him feel.

Laxus stayed silent, watching Bickslow as Freed spoke, taking in the way his hands clenched and his shoulders tensed. "Freed, be a babe and get us a few beers?" He smiled at the smaller man when he stood up and made his way down the stairs, happy that his boyfriend got the hint.

Turning his attention back to Bickslow, Laxus fixed him with a stern look. "Bicks, what have you done?"  
"Me? Boss, you wound me!"  
"Bickslow..."  
"I didn't do anything! I swear"  
Laxus just raised an eyebrow in response, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting. "Bicks, you're a smart guy. Don't play dumb with me"  
Bickslow sat back, rubbing his hands down his face. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."  
"Figured it out, huh?"  
"Fuck. Boss, I think I fucked up"

Bickslow moved to the railing, his eyes easily finding the odd couple. Dropping his visor, he let his eyes activate, focusing on the dulled orange glow in Levy's chest. It hadn't gotten brighter since the last time he checked, but it hadn't gotten duller either. The black tendrils were still there, but around the edges he saw the reason why the slow decay of Levy's soul had stopped.  
Shutting off his eyes, he sat back at the table and downed his beer in one go.

"Shit"  
Freed smiled softly at his friend. "It was the library, wasn't it?"  
"Shit"  
"Bickslow, you didn't do it on purpose. You have excellent control over yourself and your magic. This isn't something you could have forced, or avoided"  
"Freed's right, Bicks. You wouldn't have known." Laxus offered a small smile to his friend, seeing his distress.  
"Shit. And I kept checking on her. Goddamn it"  
"Bickslow" Freed's voice was calm and even. "What do you mean?"  
Sighing heavily, Bickslow slumped in his seat. "Not here. Too many ears" he gestured over his shoulder at the many dragon slayers down below.  
"Well, at least rust bucket isn't here to overhear you talking about his girl" Laxus offered helpfully.  
Bickslow shuddered slightly at the thought of what the dark haired Slayer was currently subjecting the tiny woman to, before standing and gesturing for his team to follow.

Having collected Evergreen on their way out of the guild, the entire rajinshuu was silent until they reached Bickslow's apartment. When the door had clicked shut and Freed's silencing runes had flared, showing their activation, Bickslow turned to his team.  
"So, I did something fucking stupid".

When he'd finished explaining everything, what he'd inadvertently done, the darkness consuming their guild mate and how it was trying to take hold of Levy, Bickslow slumped in his seat, head falling back so he could stare at the blank roof of his apartment, trying to get his brain back in order. "Now would be a good time for someone to say something, like 'Bickslow you're a moron' for example".  
Evergreen moved so she was holding him, his head pillowed against her shoulder. "Bicks, you're not a moron. You're an ass most of the time, but you'd never do something like this. You're a good person, despite what you try to make everyone believe. Let me talk to Levy, hopefully I won't make him angry at her".  
Wrapping his arms around his friend, Bickslow held the fairy tight. "Thanks Ever. You know, you're much nicer after you've been laid" cackling, he shoved the irate woman away from his body before she could whack him with her fan - that thing bloody hurt!

Slowly, his team trickled out of the apartment. Evergreen having promised dinner with Elfman. Shortly after Laxus and Freed left too, saying they wanted to walk home with Mira.  
"Have fun when you get home! Tell me Laxus, how does it feel to watch your boyfriend bang your girlfriend?" Bickslow yelped as his team mate shocked him on his way out the door. "Not nice, boss man!"  
Laxus ignored the remark, waving over his shoulder as Freed smothered a giggle at the sight of their friends hair, already crazy, but now standing on end from the static electricity.  
As his teammates disappeared down the hallway, Bickslow closed the door and slumped against it, sliding down until he was sat on the floor.  
Running his hands down his face for what felt like the millionth time that day, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering, imagining what the girl who had taken up residence in his brain was currently doing, what she was being subjected to.

A/N: What has Bickslow done?!  
To the people who've started following this story, THANK YOU! It's so exciting when I get that notification.  
And guest (you should log in so I can reply to you!) I'm glad you're enjoying it! And I'm sorry the first chapter was short, but that felt like a natural stopping place for the intro chapter. They should be a bit longer from now on!


	3. Chapter 3, or The Hurt

**A/N: If you've read Desecration by the AMAZING Mishka89 then you'll know what's been happening to poor Levy. If not, then you need to go read it because I'm not going to go into detail here, and also because her writing is just incredible. Apologies for any format issues, I'll hopefully have them fixed tomorrow when I get back in front of a computer. Remember - unfortunately, I own nothing, although it's probably for the best. And now, on with the story!!!**

Two days.

Two days since the glowering iron slayer took his exceed and left on a long quest. Two days without a sighting of the guilds resident bookworm. Two very long, very miserable days of watching Bickslow drink himself into a stupor, rubbing at his chest constantly

 _Stupid gramps_ , Laxus thought to himself.

Makarov had been pushing his grandson to get to know his guild mates, build relationships outside of his team, claiming it would help when he eventually took over as guild master. But all Laxus was feeling lately was concern, and enough of it that he'd had a constant headache for the past two days.

Resigning himself to the fact that nothing was going to change unless he physically went and pulled his friend out of his slump, he quickly downed the last of his morning coffee and, locking his office door behind him, went to find the main source of his current headache.

Bickslow himself was currently nursing a headache, although he knew it was at least partially self inflicted. He'd been trying to numb the growing ache in his chest the only way he knew how, but that had left him with a reasonable sized hangover for the last few mornings. Idly, he reached up to rub at his chest again, increasingly aware of the hollow feeling that seemed to be taking root in his very soul. He knew the reason, as much as he was terrified to admit it to himself, let alone anyone else. Sighing, he picked up his freshly refilled mug and sipped at the steaming, bitter tea that was Mira's hangover cure, enjoying the way it warmed him from the inside and helped lessen the aching in his head, even if it couldn't do anything about the one in his chest.

He would have been content to sit there all day, basking in his melancholy, but the hulking blonde that appeared at his left shoulder apparently had other plans.

"You're making the whole place look depressed."

"Well, we're not all as beautiful as you, boss."

"Come on Bicks, cut the crap. What's going on with you? No babies playing pranks, you haven't annoyed Ever for days, and when was the last time you laughed?"

"I laughed at you the other night, didn't I?"

"Bicks, that was days ago" Laxus sighed at his friends effort to maintain the facade he was so well known for. "Come on, let's get out of here before you make anyone else sad just by looking at you."

The duo found themselves walking through the streets of Magnolia, enjoying the last morning sun as Laxus carefully steered them towards the market district and Levy's apartment.

"You keep rubbing at that spot and you'll wear a hole in your shirt."

"Can't help it man, it fucking hurts."

Laxus frowned slightly, pausing in front of a tidy building where he knew, even if Bickslow didn't, he'd find the answer to their problem.

"Well, we better go see someone about that."

Bickslow was deeply confused, he had no idea why there were here, or even where here actually was. All he did know was that, as they climbed the stairs, the ache in his chest lessened and it felt like he could breathe again. He quirked an eyebrow under his visor when Laxus stopped in front of a door numbered 167 and knocked. When there was no answer, he shrugged at the blonde.

"Guess there's no one..." He didn't get to finish his thought as the door swung ajar, apparently whoever had shut the door last hadn't clicked the lock into place.

Laxus carefully pushed the door, and stepped into the apartment, Bickslow following hesitantly behind him. The lighting was dim, all the curtains still closed. The place was obviously clean, books stacked neatly on every available surface, but it looked like there'd been a struggle here - ornaments knocked over, a chair overturned, and a few precious books ripped.

Laxus nearly gagged on the smell in the apartment, taking shall breaths to try and sort through them - fear, anger, hate, he could smell them in the air just as thickly as the bodily fluids and the... _Shit! The blood!_

Bickslow looked around, feeling oddly at home. He still didn't know where they were, but the overflowing bookcases gave him a pretty good idea of who's apartment they were currently intruding in. But if they were here, and the door was open, where was Levy?

"Bickslow."

Laxus' deep voice shattered the silence in the room, his tone making Bickslow look nervously at his friend.

"I need you to go back to the guild, get Wendy, and come straight back here."

"Uhh, boss? What's going..."

"Fast as you can, right now Bickslow."

He might not have had any idea of what was happening, but Bickslow had heard that tone before and knew better to than to argue - he'd learnt that the hard way when his argument had almost cost Freed his life. So, he dashed out of the building, long legs taking him down the stairs in three strides before he was running along the street. A quick flash of green behind the visor was seen as five small wooden tikis flew out of his pockets and towards the guild, the tall mage rushing through the streets as his babies disappeared from view.

When he skidded to a stop a few short minutes later, Wendy was already in front of the guikd, having been pushed and prodded out of the hall by his totems.

"Bickslow! What is going on?"

"No idea squirt, boss needs your help." He grabbed her, helping her climb onto his back. "Hold tight, we'll get there quicker this way." The second she was settled, arms tight around his shoulders, Bickslow was off and running again. He had no idea what was happening, he didn't have the enhanced senses of the slayers, but he knew something was wrong, could feel the unsettled feeling deep in the pit of his stomach.

The closer he got to the apartment, the tighter he could feel Wendy's arms get, and she had practically flown off his back when they reached the right floor. Bickslow felt like his skin had suddenly been shrunk at the tension in the apartment, felt like even his hair was itching with it. He went to follow Laxus and Wendy into the dark room off to the left of the kitchen, only to be stopped by a large hand.

"Stay here".

"Laxus, I need -"

"Bickslow." Laxus voice was deep, leaving no room for argument. "You need to stay here."

Deflated, Bickslow merely nodded, shoulder slumping as the door shut in front of him.

Turning around, he was greeted with his totems floating silently in front of his face, their usual joking gone in response to the emotions they could feel rolling off their master. Feeling restless, Bickslow removed his visor, placing it on the bench, and started tidying up, righting furniture and replacing the books and trinkets that had been strewn around the place, his babies helping to bump things back into their rightful place and pushing open the curtains to let in the midday sun. Looking around, Bickslow could see the apartment was, other than the carnage, immaculately clean and also completely bare of anything personal. There were no photos of friends on the wall, no treasures or reminders from travels, and the only pictures in frames were of Levy and Gajeel and, frankly, Levy looked miserable in all of them.

It was a short time later when the door opened and a distraught looking Laxus stepped out. Before he even knew what was happening, Bickslow was pushing passed him, following some unknown pull that had him collapsing next to the bed where a very pale, very unconcious Levy was laying. Magic activating, he cast green glowing eyes over the small woman in front of him, and almost wept tears of relief seeing the brilliant yellow soul still in place. And then he saw the jagged black crack running throughout the warmth of her, and he wanted to weep for an entirely different reason.


	4. Chapter 4, or The Days After

Wendy was immensely fond of her fellow bluenette - the little woman was wonderful company, a brilliant conversationalist, and immensely intelligent. Her old book and fresh rain scent was soothing, and she was one of the view guild members who treated Wendy as an equal, an adult instead of the child she'd been when she'd joined them. She wasn't the young girl that had followed Natsu home anymore, she was just shy of her 20th birthday for heaven's sake, so she knew what went on behind closed doors. Having spent her teenage years in the guild had given her quite an education.  
It hurt her heart to know that her friend was so injured by the man who was meant to take care of her, that it'd been happening for a while based on the number of old and partly healed injuries she'd found on the small woman's body.  
She'd smelt the blood from outside the building, the other awful smells assaulting her senses as Bickslow had climbed up to the apartment. It was the advantage, or disadvantage, of her magic - her senses were heightened even further than those of the other slayers. And standing over Levy, she'd had to make a real effort not to openly sob at the damage done to her friends body.

Wendy was tired, she'd been literally pouring magic into her friend in an attempt to reverse the horrific damage that had been done. She was thankful that Laxus had been there - even after rendering Levy unconscious, she'd needed the large man to physically hold her down while Wendy had re-broken and reset bones, and she appreciated how he'd tried to maintain their friends dignity, even when Wendy had no option but to strip her naked and lay her bare so she could access, and heal, the injuries done to her more delicate body parts.  
Now, she was sat heavily in the chair next to Levy's bed, thankful that Laxus had put one there and opened the window, the fresh air helping to re-energize her as she watched Bickslow's eyes glow. Something about the way he was looking at the sleeping bluenette was making Wendy's heart stutter, and she felt like she was intruding on something very personal. Turning her face away to try and give them some privacy, she tried to blink away the hot tears behind her eyes. She couldn't help herself, when Laxus appeared next to her, Wendy was burying her face against his stomach and quietly sobbing. She was confused, more than anything, and that coupled with her anger was making it hard for her to stop her tears.

Laxus, for his part, seemed to know that she just needed a minute to compose herself, his large hand coming down to soothingly stroke her dark blue hair, his deep voice unnaturally quiet.  
"You did good, Wendy."

As the glow from Bickslow's eyes died off, Wendy gathered her strength, drying her eyes and turning to face the sieth mage who was looking tortured.  
"What did he do to her?"  
Wendy gulped, Bickslow was obviously struggling with his control, his anger was bubbling just underneath the surface, and she wasn't sure how to deal with this kind of situation. She looked at Laxus for guidance, but all she got was a nod.  
Wendy kept her eyes down, focusing on her hands in her lap as she twisted her fingers together. "She had broken ribs, a punctured lung, internal bruising and bleeding, too many bruises to count, bite marks, burns, cuts, welts, a fractured eye socket and cheek bone, a ruptured ear drum, multiple broken fingers..." She trailed off, unsure if she should tell him the rest. If Levy would want him to know.

Bickslow could sense the young woman's hesitancy, knew there was more she wasn't telling him. He reached across Levy's still sleeping form to gently grasp Wendy's hand in his own, his other one still clutching tightly to Levy.  
"Wendy, it's okay, you can tell me. The more I know, the more I can help her." He kept his voice soft, afraid of startling the youngest slayer or waking up Levy.  
"Bickslow." Her eyes held so much pain when they met his. "He... He took her. There was... I can't."  
Laxus rested an enormous hand on her shoulder, squeezing in reassurance when her voice failed. "He raped her, Bickslow. Damn near tore her in half."

Bickslow felt like all the air in his lungs, in the room, had been sucked clean out. He knew Gajeel wasn't a good man, knew he'd been hitting her, but rape? He wanted to cry, to scream, to punch something. There were too many emotions running through his head, and the immaculate control he had over his magic was slipping.  
He was completely unaware of Laxus moving, of Wendy talking to him, of everything except for the unconscious woman in front of him, until something heavy was dropped over his eyes.  
"Thanks, Boss." He reached up to clip his visor in place, hands shaking as he realized what he'd almost done. "Sorry for scaring you, Squirt."  
"She means something to you, doesn't she, Bickslow?" Wendy asked with a small smile.  
"Yeah, you could say that."

* * *

When Levy had woken from her forced nap, Wendy had shooed the men out of the bedroom. Now the two team mates were standing awkwardly in front of the door, both trying not to listen to what they could hear from the other side of the wood.  
"So, uhh, what do we do now?"  
Laxus groaned, he could only image the paperwork he was going to have to do about this. "I don't know. Nothing isn't an option anymore though." He really thought they were going to have more time to plan, to encourage Levy to open up to them, before they had to move. But Gajeel had thrown that plan out the window, escalating his abuse to this level in just days.  
"God, Laxus, this is my fault. If I'd just let them alone the other day, hadn't spoken to her..."  
"Bickslow!" Laxus' tone demanded his full attention. "This is not your fault. It's not her fault either. There's only one person to blame, and I damn well plan on doing that as soon as he gets back to town." He finished just as the door opened and Wendy stepped out.  
"Bicks, could you go sit with her for a bit?"

As Bickslow left to go sit with the still groggy script mage, Wendy and Laxus moved to the kitchen and spoke in hushed tones so as not to be overheard.  
"How is she?"  
"It's going to be a long road for her, mentally. She might not ever get back to the way she was before."  
"And physically?"  
"I've done what I can, for now. She really needs to rest, to be safe. I don't know if she'll ever be able to..." Wendy's voice broke, unable to get out the last few words.  
"Hey, come on now Squirt. You did everything you could. I'm sure that, whatever it is, Levy won't hold it against you."  
"What if she wants children, Laxus? I -"  
"Did everything you could. Quit beating yourself up, alright?"  
Wendy just nodded slightly, keeping her eyes on the floor.

While their hushed conversation was going on, Bickslow was edging closer to the pale bluenette who was propped up on a pile of pillows.  
"Hey, little blue." He kept his voice soft, internally cursing when she flinched. "How you doing?"  
"Why are you here?" Her voice was rough, throat sore from the abuse it had taken.  
"Had to come check on my favourite bookworm. No one had seen you for a while, we got worried." He frowned when Levy still wasn't looking at him, focused instead on her hands folded on her lap. "Can I, uh, sit down?"  
Levy just shrugged. "You shouldn't be here."  
"What do you mean, Blue?"  
"He won't like it, he'll hurt you."  
Bickslow frowned at the vacant look in her eyes. "Levy, honey, look at me." He took his visor off when her eyes met his face, honey irises meeting red. "He won't hurt anyone, okay? I won't let him hurt you again." He reached out to squeeze her hands, and his whole body lit up at the contact. Levy gasped, and he knew she felt it too.

But then her head dropped, and her shoulders started shaking with sobs. Bickslow wasn't sure exactly what he was meant to do, but something in him was screaming at him to move, to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. Carefully, he moved up to sit beside her and, slowly so as not to startle the shaking bluenette, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and drew her in to rest against his chest.  
He sighed, it felt so right to be holding her like this, but his heart hurt knowing she was in so much pain. Bickslow knew there wasn't much he could do to help, so he just held the tiny bluenette against his body, rocking her slightly and occasionally kissing her wild mop of blue hair. When her sobs had died down, and Levy's breathing had eased back into a regular rhythm, he pulled away from her slightly, and Bickslow swore he heard her whimper at the loss of contact.  
"Easy, little blue, breathe." He soothed as he rearranged her to sit on his lap, bundling her up in the blankets.  
"Don't... Don't call me that." She stammered,  
"Little blue?"  
"Mmmm. It's what he..." Levy's voice cracked.  
"Shhh. Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." He rocked her gently, much the same you would rock a crying baby. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
Levy shook her head, soft hair tickling his chin. "Can we just sit here?" Her voice was small, she sounded as fragile as she felt in his arms.  
Bickslow didn't answer her, just drew her tighter into his chest and rested his cheek on the top of her head, gently stroking her arm through the blankets.

When Wendy and Laxus came to check on them, hearing it go silent in the room, they found the large sieth mage curled protectively around a sleeping Levy, his face soft as he looked down on her face, finally peaceful now she was resting.  
Wendy leant over to Laxus and whispered to him. "He loves her, doesn't he?"  
"Mmhm. He just doesn't know it yet." With that, Laxus pushed off the door frame and moved into the room. "Bickslow, we should go."  
Bickslow's face flashed in anger as he looked up at his friend, before he managed to school his features into something resembling his usual mask.  
"Yeah, I know." He carefully moved, placing Levy back onto the soft bed and tucking all the blankets carefully around her. He smiled when she unconsciously burrowed into the warmth left behind from his body. Leaning down to gently press a final kiss into her hair, Bickslow was completely unaware of the soft smiles from the two dragon slayers in the doorway.  
As they were leaving the apartment, Wendy turned and waved glowing hands over the place, shrugging at the puzzled looks on the two men behind her.  
"Now he won't be able to smell us."

Together, the trio left the building and headed back towards the guild hall, completely unaware of the eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

 **A/N: Well. This chapter was a fucking nightmare.  
It was so painful to write, nothing wanted to come out, and honestly I hate it.  
BUT it's done now, so we can all forget about it and move on to (hopefully) bigger and better things!  
Remember to go check out Desecration by the AMAZING Mishka89 - it's significantly darker than this, but also a million times better, and these two are designed to be read together.**

 **Remember, reviews are how you keep authors motivated and writing!**


	5. Chapter 5, or The Fallout

**A/N: OH MY GOD! I AM SO SORRY EVERYONE! I know it's been months since I updated anything :-( Life has been kind of crazy, my laptop died, and lots of conventions, but we resurrected the old girl, con season is half over now and I'm finally in a better rhythm so *fingers crossed* I'll have more updates for you. Hopefully this isn't appalling because this chapter just Would. Not. Cooperate. There has been zero editing, so if you spot something glaring, please let me know so I can fix it, but for now, let's just dive right in!**

* * *

Bickslow spent the next few days splitting his time between Levy's apartment, and Freed's personal library.  
It was obvious to everyone around them that the more time Bickslow spent with Levy, the more she seemed like her old self, his easy going nature and earnest care doing wonders for her recovery. Physically, she was almost completely healed as well, in thanks mostly to Wendy and her determination to fix everything and also the rest they were forcing on her.  
When he wasn't there, you were almost guaranteed to find the lanky seith mage at Freed's, holed up in his library - a place you previously couldn't have dragged him kicking and screaming. But Freed happened to own the largest collection of tomes on seith magic - given that the practice was almost completely illegal in the country, no one else had any resources for him - and so that's where he spent his time, even taking short naps on the sofa in there, in the hopes of finding something to help explain his current predicament.

Almost a week later, a very pissed off looking Gajeel came stomping into the guild hall, heading straight for the bar. He was stopped, before he reached his goal however, by Laxus and the rest of the Rajinshuu, and the looks on their faces was enough to make even the tough iron slayer swallow nervously.  
A flash of runes, and Gajeel found himself suddenly unable to speak or move.  
"Gramps' office, now." Laxus commanded darkly, electricity almost sparking off him in his barely concealed rage.  
Unable to stop himself, Gajeel found himself moving against his will across the floor, up the stairs and into the old mans office, flanked the entire time by the entire Thunder God tribe.  
Gajeel looked around nervously as he heard the door lock shut behind him and the chair behind the desk spun around.

* * *

Across town, Pantherlily was just getting back to Levy's apartment after spending time with the rest of the exceeds, and was surprised to see Wendy letting him in.  
"Good afternoon, Wendy. I wasn't expecting to see you here. Is everything alright?"  
Wendy shook her head, the movement making her hair swing slightly. "Lily, when was the last time you were here?"  
He stopped for a moment, scratching his chin with a small paw as he thought. "A few weeks at least."  
"You should talk to Levy. She's in here." Wendy turned and gestured for the small exceed to follow. He was surprised to see them heading towards the bedroom, and concern for his friend quickly etched itself onto his features. Wendy stopped and knocked lightly on the doorframe. "Levy? Lily is here, would you like to see him?" She asked gently.  
Lily didn't hear a response, but Wendy had moved out of the doorway, so he hesitantly took a few steps into the room. When he saw his friend in the bed, still looking very frail, he quickly flew over and wrapped his small paws around her neck.  
"Oh Levy, I'm so sorry. I knew I never should have left."  
Levy smiled, stroking his soft fur even as she began to cry. "It's not your fault, Lily."  
Wendy smiled softly to herself, backing out of the room and pulling the door over to give the two of them some privacy.

* * *

"So you see, Gajeel, you have put me in a rather tough position" the guild master finished. "I should expel you, call the authorities and tell them what you've done. But I do not wish to put Levy through any more hardship, and she doesn't want to press charges against you."  
"Fucked if I know why" Laxus muttered under his breath.  
Clearing his throat, Makarov continued. "And we have some evidence to suggest this isn't _you_ ".  
Freed let the silencing runes dispel as he began talking. "You weren't always like this, Gajeel. I remember a time when you fought alongside us, protected Miss Levy, almost died for this guild. What happened to that man?"  
Gajeel hung his head in shame. They were right, that used to be him. He had learnt about the benefits of family, the strength that friendships and love could give him. He felt his head being forced up, but all he saw was a flash of green.

* * *

Wendy looked up from her book, borrowed from one of Levy's many bookcases, when she heard the door being pushed up and saw a very deflated Pantherlily exiting the room.  
"I'm sorry, Lily. I know it's hard to hear." She offered gently as he drifted over to sit beside her.  
"Thank you for all you did for her, Wendy. I can't believe Gajeel would ever stoop to this behaviour. I thought he was a better man than this."  
"I don't think Gajeel himself is a bad person, and neither does Master. Do you remember, about 6 months ago he came back from a solo mission acting odd?"  
"Yes, I believe so. We chalked it up to a tough battle and he was back to normal a few days later."  
"Well, I don't think it was a battle. I think someone cursed him, and so too does Master. They're going to try and cure him" she kept her voice quiet. "We haven't told Levy anything, I don't know how well she'd take it..." she trailed off.  
Lily put his paw on top of her hand. "I think that's a wise choice. But what do we do when they see each other again?"  
Wendy visibly deflated at his question, suddenly looking and feeling much older than her 20 years. "I don't know, Lily. I really don't know".

* * *

"Quick, pass me that jar" Bickslow's voice strained, eyes glowing and concentrated. Freed placed the empty jar in his outstretched hand, and they all watched as Bickslow appeared to literally drag a writhing black mass from Gajeel's body, dropping it into the jar, onto which Freed quickly screwed the lid. "Got it' he said weakly, the green glow quickly dissipating when he sat down heavily into a chair, gratefully accepting a glass of water from Evergreen.  
"What the fuck was that?" Laxus was the first one to recover, the most used to watching Bickslow work.  
"Seed. Someone cast a curse on rusty there, that's the root of it. Nasty thing too, haven't seen one that bad in years."  
The entire room turned their attention onto Gajeel, who was sagging against the runes holding him in place. "Oh, god" he whispered, tears starting to pool in his crimson eyes.  
"With the seed gone, he's going to remember everything he said and did. But his conscience isn't suppressed anymore. Pretty effective punishment, even if I do say so myself" Bickslow chuckled tiredly.  
"Gajeel" the masters voice was commanding. "Here is what you're going to do. You're going to take a 10 year quest, get out of town and stay gone until it's completed. You will keep your place in this guild, and when you're done you will come home as the man we know you to be."  
Gajeel nodded silently, tears still sitting in his eyes. "May I - may I leave a couple of letters?"  
Nodding, the old guild master pulled out ink and parchment from his desk, waving the Thunder God tribe to leave. Freed dispensed his runes, and then helped lift Bickslow upright before they filed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind themselves.  
Silently, Makarov sat and waited while Gajeel wrote his letters, sealing them into enveloped and addressing them with a single name each before handing them over.  
"Thank you." He said simply, before picking up the first job flyer on the pile and vanishing into the shadows.  
The guild master sighed, putting the letters into his drawer to deliver at a later date, and poured himself a stiff drink. It had been a very long week.

* * *

A very tired Bickslow let himself into Levy's apartment as he'd taken to doing, only to be stopped by a large black cat wielding a large sword. "Woah, easy there kitty! 'Sonly me." He held his hands up in surrender.  
"My apologies, Bickslow" Lily apologised, shrinking back to his regular size and sheathing his sword. "You startled me. What are you doing here, and do you often let yourself into ladies apartments without knocking?"  
Bickslow grinned, tongue rolling out. "Came to see Lev, silly. And only when I know they want to see me" he winked. Starting towards the bedroom, he heard the sound of the shower running and decided to make himself at home on the couch. "Gajeel's gone."  
"Yes, Wendy informed me of the plan. Was it a curse?" Lily came and sat on the opposite end of the sofa.  
"Yup, nasty one. Managed to get it out of his soul though, and he's shipped off by now I assume."  
"Thank you for sticking up for him. I know he can be prickly, but I struggled to think he was evil."  
"He's Fairy Tail, we look out for our own. Don't mention it to Levy though."  
"Don't mention what to Levy?" The bluenette asked as she appeared in the doorway, wearing baggy pyjama's and toweling her damp hair.  
"How cute you look. Are those _ducks?_ " Bickslow quickly covered, standing up and walking over to her. "How you feeling?"  
"Much better. Please tell me there's something to eat in this house? I'm starving" she exclaimed, heading towards to kitchen.  
"Oh no you don't!" Bickslow quickly stepped in front of her, and pointed to the bar stools at the bench. "Sit, let Bickslow cook something for you."  
Lily stifled a chuckle as he watched the pair of bluenettes. _"_ _They already act like a couple"_ he thought to himself, having been briefed earlier from Wendy.  
He drifted over on his wings to sit on the bench next to Levy, and watched the way they interacted. _"This is going to be interesting to watch play out"_.

* * *

 **A/N: PHEW! Finally got something that sort of works! Man, this was ROUGH. Sorry about all the page breaks, but they felt like the best way to try and break this up so it's a bit easier to follow (this chapter was very back-and-forth).  
** **Also, on a serious note - this is fiction. Real life doesn't work like this.  
Abuse of any kind is something very serious, and we all need to be brave enough to speak up and say something if we see anything happening.  
If this is happening to you - firstly, I'm so very sorry that you have to go through this. And secondly, remember that help is out there for you when you're ready to ask for it. Hopefully that's all I need to say on that topic!  
So, remember to leave a review so I can maybe be motivated to keep going with this monster...**


	6. Chapter 6, or The Lull

**A/N: I know, another update?! Honestly, I'm procrastinating everything on my cosplay to-do list and just writing instead. Plus, I got a very sweet review which spurred me to keep writing!**

 **Dragonfly - You're welcome! Honestly, I love Gajeel and writing him as the "bad" guy is really hard for me, so this is kind of the happy medium. I'm glad I got Lily right! He's tricky - part soldier, part nobility, and fiercely loyal - so I'm really happy that I managed to get the balance okay. And Bickslow honestly is just the sweetest goofball in my brain. If you haven't already, Desna (another author here) has some fantastic Bickslow stories - go check them out. Plus Bickslow/Levy are my favourite crack ship - I have no idea why, but my brain just loves them together. Thank you so much for your review - this chapter is for you my dear! xxx**

* * *

As the weeks turned into months, Levy slowly found herself about to head into the guild hall - first sticking close to Bickslow's side on the quieter second floor, and eventually back down to the bar where she managed to finally stop flinching every time the doors opened.

Smiling up from her book as Mira slid a fresh cup of tea onto her table, Levy stopped to look around. Nab stood at the job board as usual, team Natsu were huddled at one table going over a job request - Erza's presence ensuring both Gray and Natsu were quiet. Juvia lurked from behind her usual pillar, and Mira and Kinana were manning the bar. She sighed contentedly, finally feeling normal again, and turned her full attention back to her book.

Hours later, when the sun was setting low in the sky, Levy finally looked up from her novel when she felt the flutter of wings next to her.  
"Lily, you're back!" She set her book down carefully, and gathered the exceed into her arms. "How was the mission?"  
"Honestly Levy, I don't know how you put up with those two for all that time. They're lovely boys, but" he trailed off, enjoying the way her fingers were scratching his ears.  
"Useless in a fight?" She finished with a giggle. "Did you know that script magic was never designed to be an offensive magic? It traditionally wasn't used in a weaponized form at all, but I had to learn to defend myself somehow!"  
"I didn't know that at all, but that's very impressive of you Levy. You really were the brains AND the muscle in that team the whole time." Lily stated, a little bit in awe. Living with Levy, he was learning more about her every day, and he was growing both immensely fond of, and in awe of, the small woman.

They stayed late into the evening, with Levy explaining the differences between script and rune magic, enjoying having an engaged audience for once. Lily, for his part, was enjoying listening to her talk to animatedly, and he had a thirst for knowledge anyway - why not enjoy seeing her blossom and learning all at the same time? Levy was about to launch into a history of script magic when a large body dropped into the booth opposite them.  
"Kitty, Lev." Bickslow nodded at each of them. "You're out late".  
Looking around, Levy realised just how late it had gotten - all but a few members had left the hall, headed for their homes and beds for the night. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise!"  
Lily chuckled softly. "No need to apologize, I should have paid more attention to the time, but I was fascinated by your knowledge. Bickslow, did you know that script magic, unlike runes, was originally nothing more than a party trick?"  
Bickslow whistled lowly. "Nope. Knew runes were old and based on the root language of magic, but I didn't know little Levy had managed to weaponize something that was only ever meant to entertain children. That's impressive stuff there, Lev."  
Levy blushed under the praise, still not used to being complimented. "Thanks, guys, but it wasn't hard to do. Anyone could figure it out."  
"Yeah, but you're the one who did it. Come on." Bickslow said, standing up. "I'll walk you guys home."  
Lily rose up on his wings. "It's a nice night, I'd like to go for a stroll. I'll see you at home Levy. Goodnight, Bickslow." He nodded at them, hoping Bickslow would take the hint, and then flew away out into the night sky.

Slowly, the pair of wizards made their way towards Levy's apartment, the small woman still flushed from her passionate spiel earlier and she was chatting away brightly, mostly about the constellations they could see in the clear sky. Bickslow knew enough to keep up with what she was saying, one of the perks of spending so much time with Freed, but he found himself continually distracted by the life sparkling in her eyes, and how soft her pale skin looked under the moonlight. All too soon, they had arrived at the entrance to Levy's building.  
"Thank you for walking me home, Bickslow." Levy twisted her hands together nervously.  
"Not a thing, Lev."  
She sighed. "It's such a beautiful night, isn't it?"  
"Yeah, you are." Bickslow said, looking gently down at the small bluenette in front of him, who blushed deeply at the compliment. "I think I might kiss you, Levy."  
Levy chewed the inside of her cheek nervously, reaching out with a small, shaking hand to touch his own larger one, her voice small. "I think I'd like that, Bicks."

Groaning internally, he stepped closer to her, lifting her face towards him with a gentle hand on her cheek. Stooping his head towards her, he stopped just a breath away from touching, enjoying just being this close to her, feeling her sweet breath on his lips. Levy raised slightly onto her tiptoes, closing the last few millimeters and gently pressing their lips together.  
Bickslow would have sworn to the ends of the earth that actual fireworks were exploding behind his eyelids when his brain caught up and realized that _"holy shit, I'm kissing Levy!"_  
Carefully, so as not to startle her, Bickslow slid his hand from her cheek back into her hair and angled his head to kiss her deeper.  
What seemed like an all too short time later, Bickslow was pulling back from her soft lips, trying to ignore the small whimper that escaped from Levy's throat.  
Looking down at her, her cheeks still slightly pink and eye's glassy, he had to stifle a quiet chuckle. "Hi"  
Levy giggled, nuzzling her cheek into his warm hand resting on the side of her face. "Hi yourself. Bickslow?"  
"Mmhm?"  
"Would you like to come upstairs?" Bickslow's mouth fell open, and Levy thought he was doing a brilliant impression of a fish out of water, giggling at the thought. "I think we should probably talk?"  
Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, he smiled down at the woman in front of him. "If you insist, beautiful." He agreed, opening the front door and holding it, gesturing for her to lead the way.

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, fluff happened. Sorry not sorry! These two have been through so much, gotta give them a little bit of happiness, right?!**

 **Couple of extra reviews I want to reply to:  
Nic - I just can't do it, I love Gajeel too much to actually make him the baddest bad guy! I'm glad you're enjoying it, stay tuned for what comes next (honestly, even I don't know what it's going to be...)  
Guest - thank you! I know they're a very crack ship, but I'm glad you can see it! It was pretty hard to write too, I haven't even gone back to read or edit it... So hopefully it's okay!**

 **Remember to follow/favourite and PLEASE review - it makes me so happy and keeps me motivated to figure out what to throw at these two next!**


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